Potton pyjama women raise cash for National Brain Appeal

Two Potton women have been dressing down in aid of a leading brain charity.

Jane Walker, 45, and Amy Taylor, 44, have been fundraising for The National Brain Appeal’s Pyjama Party during October.

They have both been affected by brain diseases - Jane personally and Amy through her mother and aunt.

And Jane’s story inspired Amy to also take part in the fundraising campaign.

Jane decided to fundraise by spending two weeks wearing her pyjamas out and about in Potton and on a caravanning holiday to Suffolk. Amy decided she would wear her pyjamas on her twice-daily walks with her dog Harry.

Primary school teacher Jane, who lives with husband Gary and children Connor 19 and Joely 17, has recently undergone major brain surgery at the hospital the charity raises vital funds for, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, .

Amy, a self-employed accountant who lives with husband Paul and their children Rebecca, 13, and Miles, 8, had been looking to support a brain-related charity since losing her mother in August as a result of a serious brain condition.

She also lost her beloved aunt Theta to brain cancer when she was eleven. Amy discovered The National Brain Appeal through a letter from her son’s school from Jane who was fundraising for the charity.

Jane has raised more than £3,000 and Amy has raised £500. Potton Lower and Middle Schools, where Jane is a teacher and Amy’s son Miles is a pupil, also had a day where the children wore their pyjamas and donated £1 each to the charity. Many parents also got on board and wore their pyjamas on the school run.

Jane was unaware she had a brain tumour. Then, in the early hours one morning in June, after waking to drink a glass of water Jane began to feel very strange. She said: “I tried to speak to Gary but it was like everything in my brain was scrambled and the same syllable kept coming out of my mouth. Gary tried to pick me up and then my legs and arms began to jolt. I so wanted to say to Gary that I loved him but I felt like I was slipping away.”

She was treated in hospital and in mid-July, received the devastating results of her MRI scan. Jane had a brain tumour, a meningioma which grows in the membranes that cover the brain (meninges). She had an operation in August to remove it.

Jane said: “I feel very lucky. I have a fantastic network of family and friends around me. I have had a very good recovery. I’m staying on the anti-seizure medication for now and I will have a scan next February. Other than that, it is just a case of looking after myself and getting stronger.”

She said: “The care I received during my stay at The National Hospital was second to none. The National Brain Appeal’s Pyjama Party was the perfect opportunity for me to say a massive thank you to staff who contributed to my care and to help to support them in continuing their groundbreaking work.”

Amy said: “The week was so amazing. I’m so grateful to all the friends, family, and complete strangers who have sponsored my pyjama dog walking.”